¶ Orcs
- Height: 5'9" - 7'5"
- Lifespan: 145 - 165 yrs
Orcs were a tribal people who have, in recent centuries, settled down into cities the Dwarves taught them to build. They have maintained most of their traditions, and each city is governed by a Chieftan. The Chieftans all sit on The Council of Chieftans, and make decisions for their people. The Council picks a High Cheiftan, who is their representative to the Kingdom. They are the only race to maintian an independent ruling structure outside of the Kingdoms.
The Kingdom of Rima respect the traditions of the Orcs, and as such, sends representatives to the Council. Should the Council and Kingdom disagree, The High Chieftan takes their complaint to the Rima King and Queen directly. This system has worked for the last thousand years.
Orcs pride themselves on Honor. Their culture places an emphasis on it, and an Orc without Honor is considered excommunicated from their people. While some expatriates exist, they are rare.
¶ Description
Orcs are taller, on average, than humans, and are naturally very well built and muscular. They are incredibly strong, pound for pound, they are the strongest of all the races, by far. Because of their larger stature, and immense strength, they are some of the most formidible of all the mortal races.
Orcs have grey skin, and pointed ears like Elves. They also have two prominent front tusks coming up from their bottom teeth.
¶ Abilities
Orcs are incredibly strong. They can perform feats of strength that not even dwarves could manage. A "scrawny" Orc is probably a match for a well build human. Orc warriors have been know to be able to bend and break weapons on the battlefield with their bare hands. Because they are so much stronger than the other races, they have a reputation for eschewing weapons entirely, leading to brutal stories of them killing their enemies with nothing but raw stength.
Going along with their physical strength, Orcs have the uncanny ability to push far past their limits continueing well past the point when their bodies should have given up. There are lauded stories of mortally wounded Orcs who have pushed past their limits to save an entire village, before finally dying on their feet, the instant after everyone was safe.
Orcs are also —despite the stereotypes— the second smartest of all the races. They tend to use their intelligence in more subtle ways than Gnomes, but compared to your average Elf or Human, Orcs are much more intelligent.
¶ History
Orcs have always been sought after as members of the other Kingdom's armies, though save for Rima, and most recently Kelir, no Kingdom has ever formed an alliance with the Orcs themselves.
Because of their strength, rumors of Orcish brutality have spread far and wide. Most of the stories are either made up, or wild exaggurations, speaking for to biogotry than to real events.
¶ Relations with Other Non-Magical Races
Orcs are, perhaps, one of the most misunderstood races. They are often seen as brutes and savages, despite being just as civilized (more so, if you ask them) than the other races.
¶ Humans
Honestly, I respect the hell out of any people who not only make Rima their home but revel in it. They're a strong people and I don't just mean the way they smash heads with their bare hands. They've gotten a raw deal, I think, with most people believing that they're simple brutes. They don't let that get to them, though, and that impresses me. We could all stand to be a bit more like the Orcs.
¶ Elves
For a brutish as their nature is, there is an uncanny intellect behind their eyes. They were reasonably polite when they refused our diplomats. At first. It was when we insisted that the thin veneer of civility they wear slipped and they became equally insistant that we "stay the hell off their land". Inspite of the brusque nature of their reply, there was just this underlying feeling that even their brutishness was a calculated ruse to play on our own stereotypes. We've given up trying for official diplomatic relations —which, I suspect, was their goal all along.
¶ Dwarves
Brilliant, strong, and loyal to a fault. You could do a lot worst when choosing a friend or lover, that's for damn sure. I just pray nothing ever stirs them to anger all at once. They could kill all of us and still be home for dinner, if they really wanted to.
¶ Gnomes
Did you know there was once a secret group of Elves that fed themselves Orcish blood as a way to get stronger? The stories say it worked, but obviously, I've never been able to get a volunteer to verify. Still, though, the leading theory is that Orcs abilities are magical in nature. If true, there might be a way to harness that and reintroduce magic to the world. Wouldn't that be an amazing legacy for them?
¶ RPG
- Stats Page: Orc stats